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Capitol Critters
|last_aired = |num_episodes = 13 (6 unaired in original timeslot) }} Capitol Critters is an animated]] Television series about the lives of mouse|mice]], rat]]s, and cockroach|roaches]] who reside in the basement and walls of the White House]] in Washington, D.C.]] The series was produced by Steven Bochco|Steven Bochco Productions]] and Hanna-Barbera Productions]] in association with 20th Century Fox Television for American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], which aired seven out of the show's 13 episodes from January 31, 1992 to March 14, 1992. Cartoon Network]] later aired all 13 episodes in 1995 in television|1995]]. The series was part of a spate of attempts by major networks to develop Prime time animated shows to compete with the surprise success of Fox's The Simpsons]], alongside CBS]]'s Fish Police (TV series)|Fish Police]] and Family Dog (TV series)|Family Dog]].Daniel Cerone, 'Fish Police' on Endangered Species List, Los Angeles Times, February 28, 1992, accessed January 20, 2011. The latter two and Capitol Critters proved unsuccessful and were quickly cancelled. Plot Begininng on a Nebraska]] farm]], which was also home to a family of Mouse|mice]], including a young mouse named Max. While Max was on a trip outside to gather some corn, Pest control|exterminators]] arrived to eliminate the mice. Once Max noticed the exterminators from a distance, he quickly returned to the basement only to witness the death of his entire family. Before Max's mother was killed after a failed rescue attempt, she told him to leave for Washington D.C., where his cousin Berkeley could be found. Upon his arrival in the nation's Capital (political)|capital]] Max encountered a rat]] named Jammett who resided along with Berkeley in the White House basement. After meeting Berkeley, Max met a former lab rat named Muggle and Jammett's mother Trixie, who allowed him to share her son's room. A new set of cat]]s called the Presidential Cats (named "President" and "Vice President") were just beginning to be a nuisance for the mice before Max's arrival. Also, the familiar sight of rat poison was a part of Max's life in his new home. When death appeared to be his fate, a cockroach]] named Moze came to his aid and brought him outside the White House basement. When Max returned to the basement, the sight of Muggle unconscious brought back terrible memories that caused him to run outside toward a presidential helicopter]] preparing to take off. Jammett managed to join Max on the helicopter before returning to the White House, giving the two plenty of time to know each other better. Episodes Principal cast * Neil Patrick Harris]] - Max * Charlie Adler]] - Jammett * Patti Deutsch]] - Trixie * Jennifer Darling]] - Berkeley * Dorian Harewood]] - Moze * Bobcat Goldthwait]] - Muggle * Frank Welker]] - Presidential Cats Additional voices * Pamela Adlon]] - Violet * Lewis Arquette]] - * Michael Bell (actor)|Michael Bell]] - Roach Husband, Various * Gregg Berger]] - * Earl Boen]] - * Sorrell Booke]] - * Hamilton Camp]] - * Brian Cummings]] - * Jim Cummings]] - Cockroach Gang Leader, Various * Tim Curry]] - Senator * Jeff Doucette]] - * Nancy Dussault]] - * Paul Eiding]] - Max's Father * Richard Erdman]] - * Takayo Fischer]] - Miko's Mother * Linda Gary]] - * Joan Gerber]] - Roach Wife * Ed Gilbert]] - * Dan Gilvezan]] - * Danny Goldman]] - Opie the Squirrel * Arlene Golonka]] - * Whitby Hertford]] - * Gordon Hunt (director)|Gordon Hunt]] - * Helen Hunt]] - * Robert Ito]] - Miko's Father * David Jolliffe]] - * Janice Kawaye]] - Miko * Jarrett Lennon]] - * Anndi McAfee]] - * Scott Menville]] - * Brian Stokes Mitchell]] - * Rob Paulsen]] - Janitor, Pigeon, Various * Robert Picardo]] - * Peter Renaday]] - * Robert Ridgely]] - * Neil Ross]] - Newscaster * Beverly Sanders]] - * Jeffrey Tambor]] - * Mark L. Taylor]] - * Russi Taylor]] - * Marcelo Tubert]] - * Chick Venerra]] - * B. J. Ward (actress)|B.J. Ward]] - Max's Mother * Lee Wilkof]] - * Eugene Williams]] - * Bill Woodson|William Woodson]] - * Patric Zimmerman]] - Felix Crew * Lynne Batchelor]] - Talent Coordinator * Davis Doi - Supervising Producer * Gordon Hunt (director)|Gordon Hunt]] - Recording Director * David Kirschner - Co-Executive Producer * Kris Zimmerman]] - Animation Casting Director Reception Capitol Critters was cancelled after less than two months. In its short run, the series dealt with such topics as politics]], racial segregation]], drug addiction]], and Death|mortality]]. In his review of the series, Variety (magazine)|Variety]] critic Brian Lowry wrote that "at its best, the show seems to ape the work of film director Ralph Bakshi]] by using an animated setting to explore adult themes", and that "the bland central character and cartoonish elements ... will likely be off-putting to many adults, who won't find the political satire biting enough to merit their continued attention. Similarly, kids probably won't be as smitten with the cartoon aspects or look." Despite the show's short run, Capitol Critters inspired Burger King Kids Club]] toys in 1992, which featured Jammet, Max, Muggle, and a Presidential Cat sitting on or emerging from miniature Washington D.C. monuments. International airings Capitol Critters was also shown in Germany]] as Mäuse an der Macht, and in Japan]] as Kyapitoru Mausu Daibouken (キャピトルマウス大冒険). Super NES version Also in 1992, Nintendo had planned to release a Super NES]] version of Capitol Critters, but it was never released. References External links * *Capitol Critters at the Big Cartoon Database Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows]] Category:1992 American television series debuts]] Category:1992 American television series endings]] Category:1990s American animated television series]] Category:Animated sitcoms]] Category:English-language television programming]] Category:Fictional mice and rats]] Category:Nebraska in fiction]] Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television]] Category:American political television series]] Category:Television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters]] Category:Television series by Fox Television Studios]] Category:Television shows set in Washington, D.C.]]